Too often Christians in America take for granted the ease of Christianity! We get up on Sunday morning and drive in an air-conditioned car to an air-conditioned church and sit on a padded pew. We stand around the church “campus,” sipping on classic or designer coffee, making small talk with our fellow pilgrims, and feeling pretty good about ourselves, we talk of the trials facing Christians! This, however, is not the mark of genuine Christianity.
The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint. The acid test of our faith is not seen in our expressions of the “Sunday morning experience” but is revealed in the daily of our lives. We are called to be “market-place” people. In other words, we are called to share our faith with those in (and out of) our circle of influence. We are asked to serve God in the good times and the bad times. In fact, we are called to be “joyful” in the midst of the trials.
When was the last time you were “thankful and joyful” for the tough times? The brother of the Lord Jesus, James wrote, Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,” James 1:2 NAS. Perhaps, James was talking about something different than we understand when he uses the words “trials” and “joy.” The word translated “joy” is chara GK which literally means “cheerfulness, calm, and delight.” There seems to be little possibility that we translate the word incorrectly. Secondly, James uses the word peirasmos GK meaning “a putting to proof (by experiment [of good], experience [of evil], solicitation, discipline or provocation); by implication, adversity:1 Clearly, James IS saying, we are to “consider it all JOY when we encounter various TRIALS.”
Why would this divinely inspired writer offer such an exhortation? Look at his next sentence: “knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:3-4 NAS. The Bible is clearly affirming this premise, “The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint.” You and I are formed and fashioned by God through the various trials of life. Our Heavenly Father is constantly preparing us for our next assignment. Can you look back on times of adversity and see the great lessons that you learned? Have you not drawn on many of these experiences as you face new dilemmas and circumstances? Have you not used His deliverances in your counsel with others? It is imperative that we realize God is always working to strengthen and sustain our faith.
Let me encourage you to stand tall and firm, even in the midst of the trials. Keep trusting God and believing His Word. He is faithful and will remain so through all the trials and adversities of your life. Consider it ALL joy!
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